By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball team pushed its winning streak to six games on Wednesday afternoon after recording its second consecutive series sweep with a pair of victories over visiting University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff by a combined score of 24-4.
The Skyhawks (18-7) improved to 7-0 at Bettye Giles Field this season after picking up a Game 1 victory by a final score of 13-3 in five innings before rattling off another five-inning victory in the second half of the doubleheader by an 11-1 margin.
UT Martin overcame sub-optimal playing conditions throughout the day with temperatures sitting in the mid-40s, wind whipping in the mid-teens and scattered rain showers moving in and out of the area to still post a high-powered offensive performance. The Skyhawks posted a .405 batting average in the doubleheader while drawing nine walks and stealing 10 bases.
Five different players tallied multiple hits on the day while junior Kaitlyn Kelley paced the squad by going 4-for-5 with two doubles, a home run and four RBIs at the plate. Sophomores Kaci Fuller and Avry Blume rattled off three hits each while combining for seven RBIs. Meanwhile, junior Kallie Pickens and graduate Paige Clark also tallied a pair of base knocks. In addition to her one hit in her lone official at bat, sophomore Katie Dreiling scored four runs on the afternoon after being patient at the plate by drawing four walks in the twinbill.
While the Skyhawks reached base at a high rate with an on-base percentage of .536 on the day, it was what they did once on the basepaths which left a mark. UT Martin posted a season-high 10 stolen bases on the day – including five by Clark to bring her career total up to 90 which moved her into sole possession of second place in program history. Clark wasn’t the only one swiping bags as five other Skyhawks tallied a steal in the two contests.
For as impressive as the offense was on the day, the pitching was equally as strong. UT Martin went with sophomore Emily Brown in Game 1 and she proceeded to toss her second complete game of the season. Brown struck out four while scattering three earned runs over five innings. The Skyhawks went with Seeley Layne in Game 2 who looked to build off an impressive relief performance on Sunday and did just that by going the distance, allowing two hits and zero earned runs over five innings for her fourth win of the season.
Game 24: UT Martin 13, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3
UAPB was the first team to jump on the board in Game 1 as the contest began with a walk before the runner advanced to scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. The Lady Lions then got a big hit from Samaria Jackson who singled up the middle to score Alyssa Wesley and take an early advantage. UAPB eventually loaded the bases but Brown and company would escape the jam with limited damage.
The game then quickly got out of hand in the bottom of the first inning as the Skyhawks not only erased the deficit from the Lady Lions but scored 10 runs in the frame to take a commanding lead of their own. The big inning started for the home squad with three consecutive walks to Clark, Dreiling and Kelley to load the bases before Fuller singled up the middle to tie up the contest. A fielder’s choice RBI off the bat of Shyanne Sheffield gave the Skyhawks the lead followed by a two-RBI single up the middle by Kallie Pickens made it a three-run margin.
Following the first out of the inning, the Skyhawks drew another walk but a wild pitch allowed Sheffield to score on the throw. The scoring barrage continued with back-to-back RBIs from Emily Grilstrap and Clark to push the score to 8-1 before she swiped her second stolen base of the inning to move into scoring position once again. After another walk to Dreiling, the Skyhawks capped off the inning’s scoring output with back-to-back extra base hits as Kelley laced a double to right field to score one while Fuller drove in her second and third RBIs of the frame with a triple to the centerfield wall. After the final out was recorded in the inning, the Skyhawks would hold a 10-1 lead over the Lady Lions.
The margin remained the same until the bottom of the third when Clark and Kelley teamed up for another scoring chance. After Clark reached on an infield single earlier in the inning and swiped her third stolen base of the game, she later touched home as Kelley ripped a double down the left field line to push the advantage out to 10 runs.
UAPB found some success again in the top of the fourth inning after back-to-back hits from Desiree Bumpers and Marissa Bracey ultimately led to a pair of runs off RBIs by pinch hitter Natalie Rogers and Wesley to cut the score to 11-3.
With the margin back at eight runs, the Skyhawks looked for a little added insurance to secure an early completion to the contest. The tandem of Pickens and Blume rattled of back-to-back doubles to alternating sides of the field to score a run before the game’s output was capped off by a RBI single to right by Gilstrap to bring the eventual final score to 13-3.
Game 25: UT Martin 11, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 1
Like in the first game of the doubleheader, it was the visitors who jumped on the scoreboard early with a run in the top of the first inning. UAPB led off the game with a walk before Amari Broughton eventually advanced all the way around to score on a pair of groundouts and an error on the potential third out of the inning.
UT Martin immediately got that run back in the bottom half of the inning as Clark played a big key in the scoring effort. Reaching base via being hit by a pitching, Clark then not only swiped second base but also third for her fourth and fifth steals of the day. With the game-tying run just 60 feet from home, Fuller lofted a deep fly to left which scored Clark on the play for the RBI.
The second inning as the Skyhawks begin to put some space between themselves and the Lady Lions. UT Martin led off the inning with a walk by Sheffield before Blume laced a single to third base. With a pair of runners on, the tandem pulled off a double steal to both move into scoring position before seeing the bases become loaded after Gilstrap was hit by a pitch. With a prime scoring chance at hand, Maddi Long cashed in with a two-run single up the middle followed by an RBI-groundout by Clark to take a three-run advantage. The Skyhawks later added two more runs off UAPB wild pitches to hold a 6-1 lead after two innings.
The Skyhawks put the finishing touches on the sweep by pushing their margin above the eight-run threshold in the bottom of the fourth inning. After Dreiling drilled a single up the middle to leadoff the inning, Kelley tied the team’s home run lead with her fifth of the season by launching a two-run blast over the right-center wall for her 24th career shot. Then later in the inning, Blume came up with the bases loaded and singled up the middle to score two runs, pushing the team’s run total to double-digits. Finally, it was UAPB’s fourth wild pitch of the contest which allowed the Skyhawks’ 11th run to cross the plate – signally the end of the day’s scoring onslaught.
UT Martin will return to Ohio Valley Conference action this weekend when traveling to Murray State for a three-game series beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 26 at 1 p.m.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information